Comments from students about our MSc courses

Mark Stevens (MSc Urban Water Engineering and Management) is a full time home student and recent graduate.

"I did my undergraduate degree in civil engineering but wanted to do something more specialised in water. I looked at other courses but Sheffield really stood out in that field, in both reputation and rankings. I wanted to do this course to make myself more employable, as I felt that getting this Masters degree made me stand out above the rest of the crowd.

"Sheffield has much to recommend it, with all the outdoor pursuits and the city attractions too. There is so much to do there is hardly time to study!

"The course has a good structure with modules that you work through. It’s a challenging start, straight in at the deep end, but the group project at the beginning was helpful to settle us all down and get to know each other. My favourite module was the SUDS one, as not only was it really interesting but the variety of methods used were enjoyable. The teaching support is good, as people were very approachable and it was easy to get help.

"I would definitely recommend the course. I am sure that prospective employers were more impressed, and I feel that it really helped make me stand out. I have taken a job at Atkins in Birmingham, and am convinced the Masters helped me in doing this."

Xiaoguang Ge (MSc Environmental Management of Urban Land and Water) is a full time student from China.

"I did my undergraduate degree in China in civil engineering, but I wanted to come and study in a different culture and Sheffield is very famous for its reputation. I really like the city; there are some very nice people here and it is not like other big cities, but much more comfortable.

"The course is very intensive but that’s why I came. I found that the most difficult modules were around Christmas and Easter, but the tutors were very helpful. I made many friends on the course from other countries, and it really helped my English to improve.

"I have already found a job and will go back to China. I feel that the course made me stand out from other applicants and although at times it was challenging I loved it and am very grateful for the opportunity."

Leigh Broadhurst (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a part time student working for a waste management contractor who is attending the course for specialised training and career development.

"I chose this course as it was a requirement for my job role to gain an MSc in Hydrogeology. Sheffield was chosen as previous colleagues had completed the course, and the course was offered on a part time basis. The structure was great, though intense, but rewarding and very beneficial to complete alongside work in the industry. I enjoyed the hydrogeology module - the tutorials were good to test aspects of the course learnt. The modules in fate and transport of pollutants, landfill engineering, risk assessment, field investigation techniques, NAPLS & natural attenuation were all very interesting and well structured."

William Furnass (Environmental Management of Urban Land and Water) is a full time student gaining a further qualification to change career direction.

"After several years of working as an IT consultant I decided to pursue a career change and wished to move into a technical position in environmental engineering. I chose to study for this MSc as the contaminant hydrogeology and water engineering courses are vocational and lead directly to employment in these areas. I chose the EMULW course over the other two environmental engineering MSc courses as I was unsure as to which direction I wanted my career to develop in.

"I have very much enjoyed both being a student at the university and living in Sheffield this last year. I must commend those that manage and staff the university's libraries: the volume of reference material available both in physical form and electronically was very impressive. I have also appreciated being so close to the Peak District as I enjoy outdoor pursuits.

"Having the course structured primarily as three-week blocks meant that one fairly quickly got a sense of the workload. The modules presented were all well taught, challenging and featured a good balance of the interests of industry and academia. The quality of the supplied course notes was excellent. The insight offered by guest lecturers and CPD delegates was most useful and provided those on the MSc courses with valuable industry contacts."

Veronica Garcia (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a full time student taking leave from employment to complete postgraduate training.

"In academic terms, I had an interest in hydrochemistry and the pollution of water resources, which is why I identified this course in the first place. When I looked closer I thought the course had a very interesting description (the web site is very useful and up to date) and it appeared particularly attractive that people from industry participate in the short courses, making this course more dynamic and applied than the other options I was evaluating.

"I finally decided to study at Sheffield because amongst the universities that I was evaluating it was the first in the rankings. In terms of lifestyle, the city appeared to be friendly and with lots of activities for young children (I have a young family !) and it was simply GREAT to have the Peak District in the backgarden !

"I started the course being unexpectedly pregnant and already having 2 young kids I was not sure if I was going to be able to finish. But I did ! The fact that the course was interesting kept me going. The modular and cyclic structure of the course through the year was key to being able to distribute my time around my family.

"I really enjoyed the whole course. I made the right decision taking this course because all the topics where very interesting. The best part for me was that the course included lots of self study and investigation to complete the coursework. So, I really enjoyed having time to read about what I wanted to and to create, design and develop my own ideas through the coursework. I believe that professionals in the real world need lots of these skills. This is the first time that I've studied abroad (I am from Chile), so I was a little bit scared about doing a course in my non-native language. However, all lecturers were very accessible and easy to understand. Good quality and clear handouts were given to support lectures and this was important."

Ellie Butterworth (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a part-time home student attending this course to enhance her career development.

"My first degree was in Geography and I chose this course because of its reputation and the relative short commute from my work. I found the course challenging and practical. The whole course has a good energy, the staff are into their subjects and actively involved with their subject matter. The teaching was of an excellent standard due to passionate, professional and organised lecturers with an appreciation of the importanceof being able to apply lecture content to the real world.

"I am now equipped with detailed knowledge of contaminant hydrogeology and a skills set allowing me to apply that knowledge. I've also been able to access subjects on the edge of my field and appreciate them fully - for example, I work for a ground engineer and I did a dissertation in microbiology! I've learned problem solving on a greater level and have gained a bigger appreciation for the subject and it's importance in aiding the clean up of the environment.

"Eventually I would like to work in developing bioremediation schemes. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who is wanting to gain an in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge of contaminant hydrogeology. I met an excellent group of people and learned a great deal!"

Oudesh Bhowon (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a full-time student from Mauritius and took a career break to complete this course.

"I wanted to do this course to improve my job prospects and to increase my specialised knowledge of the subject. It gives me something extra. The course was recommended to me by the Australian consultancy with which I worked after doing my undergraduate degree.

"I was happy with the course. It´s very intensive with short deadlines but enjoyable. There was a variety of teaching styles, but tutors were approachable and accessible. The content and quality of teaching was excellent. I really liked the way the assignments used applied examples, which made it really useful for industry and real problems. I plan to go back home (to Mauritius) and work in consultancy."

Chris Pembroke (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a full time home student and recent graduate.

"I chose this course because I wanted to specialise in environmental engineering. My first degree was in Geography, and having completed this Masters I am contemplating doing a PhD, although I am undecided about taking a job in consultancy. I did my first degree here in Sheffield, and wanted to stay as I really liked the city.

"The course was tough. It was harder than I expected, but I found it really worthwhile. It really challenged me, but it was very beneficial….it wasn´t just an academic exercise but related to real situations. It does what it says on the tin!"

Ann-Marie Kurth (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a full time EU student and recent graduate from Germany.

"My undergraduate degree was in geosciences (which I did in Germany) but I always wanted to study in England, it was one of my dreams, and the course sounded exactly what I was looking for.

"The course really prepares you for the subject: you learn how to think as a scientist, how to write a report, how to prepare your work properly. I´m so glad I did it. We had a really good group of students, which was very supportive as the course was so challenging. The teaching was excellent, particularly David Lerner´s lectures. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone, because of the depth of understanding you get........ it´s so much more than just the academics. You look over the brim of your world and see much more."

James North (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a full-time student home student and recent graduate.

"I first came to Sheffield to study a BSc in Geography. I was aware of its great teaching and reputation. I settled in quickly. Everyone gets along closely and tries hard to help each other out. Everyone was in a similar situation in the masters programme and we quickly formed a close friendship of coursemates. The teaching helped because it encouraged group work and interaction.

"The masters qualification is hugely important for my future career. It gave me a great opportunity to specialise in an area I am passionate about. The masters gave me theoretical background but also practical skills that I can apply in my future career. I wanted a masters because it is recognised in the industry and gave me specialised teaching which furthered by wide ranging BSc. It provides me with the first part of my chartered status which I seek to progress in industry.

"I would recommend the course. As I have said, it provides you with great skills and knowledge. I think it is unique because we were able to meet members of industry and external lecturers from industry. The teaching was good, staff were very approachable and helpful. Work that was set was challenging, as it aimed to test us and push us to perform to the best of our ability."

Qianqian Mao (MSc Urban Water Engineering and Management) is a full-time student from China.

"I wanted to have experience of studying abroad and also to improve my English. Moreover, I wanted to know about the different culture in the UK. One important thing for me was that Sheffield is one of the safest cities in the UK. When we started the course, we got to know our classmates and teachers, and they were very friendly and helpful.

"Sheffield is very quiet and beautiful. It is a good place to study here. As for the university, the most impressive thing is that it provides students with good facilities in the library. I think the intensive course is very good. We can focus on study on each module for three weeks. All the teachers are very professional. Of course I would recommend this course to others. I learned a lot from this course. The ethic of hard work and the team spirit cultivated during the studying helps to follow a successful future career."

Ian Stephenson (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a full-time home student and recent graduate.

"I did my BSc course at Sheffield. A geography department open day convinced me that this was an exciting university that was going places. The educational facilities are excellent and have improved a great deal in the four years that I have studied here. The Information Commons is a fantastic building that provides a modern and unique approach to education through a range of media. Sheffield itself has also improved a great deal and will go on doing so. It is a beautiful city that I have been proud to call my home.

"The MSc will provide me with opportunities in the field of contaminated land that would not likely have been available to me otherwise. I would have no hesitation in recommending this course to anyone. It has been a fantastic year and has provided me with invaluable insight into the area of contaminated land and water. The teaching was first class. Given the list of academics of the Groundwater Protection and Restoration Group, I would expect nothing less!"

Kourosh Azimi (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a full-time mature student from Iran who selected this course to enhance is career development.

"I had a personal interest in switching to environmental study, because I think geo-environment matters form the most challenging branch of civil engineering, with the problems of contaminated land and disposal of waste.

"This was the most cost-effective way of studying for me. The thing I really liked about the course was the way you were channelled along a route but creativity was encouraged through the coursework. The quality of presentations was fantastic, as all the tutors had experience and were very familiar with the industry.

"The course definitely helped me with my employment prospects. I had both job and PhD offers, and the course played a big part in this because Sheffield is one of the top-ranked universities and the course is innovative and special.

"Sheffield as a place to live was just as it says on the website….safe, green and cheap!. The quality of the extra-curricular activities was good, and this really helped my wife in particular. She had accompanied me from Iran, and found socialising with friendly people helped her fill her time as well as improve her English.

"I would definitely recommend this course. It has given me the inspiration to go on and study further."

Chris Collinson (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) chose to study this course part-time, whilst working for MJCA.

"I chose to study at Sheffield because although I am working with a consultancy firm I felt that a higher degree was a necessity for my career progression. Most other courses don´t cover contaminant hydrogeology, and this gives the Sheffield course an extra advantage.

"I was constrained by logistics because I was wanted to study part-time as well as continuing to work, and so the location of Sheffield played a big part in my choosing this course. However, the research group is so well recognised that I knew the course would be good despite this constraining feature on my part.

"The key point as far as I was concerned was the structure of the course. The modules allowed me to study part-time, and I liked the idea of studying one subject in depth before moving on the next subject. It was interesting that each module was run as a CPD course too because there was a good mix of people from industry as well the other students, which was really useful… it meant that the course was not isolated as many other courses are.

"I was very impressed with the quality of teaching. The staff were approachable and knowledgeable, and the course was very professionally run. I would certainly recommend it to anyone."

Ning Shi (MSc Urban Water and Environmental Management) is a full-time student from China.

"I chose Sheffield because I think education in the UK is the best in the world and there is such a strong tradition of engineering in Sheffield. I found it hard at the beginning because my English wasn´t very good, but the teachers were very good in helping with my problems, particularly my supervisor who helped so much.

"The modelling and software that we have use will be very useful for the future. In China these are not so popular and I think it will give me a big advantage in finding jobs. I have already recommended this course to other people!"

Nuridah Sabtu (MSc Urban Water and Environmental Management) is a full-time student from Malaysia.

"I came to Sheffield because I knew the course was highly accredited in one of the top UK universities. This was an important criteria for me as I was sponsored by the Malaysian Government, who will only sponsor courses in 5* institutions.

"I like the way everything you needed was accessible in one small area. Initially the course was tough, but the structure is very co-ordinated and linked together so you feel you are going along a pathway. It was quite hectic with having to do exams every three weeks at the end of each module, but this way keeps you alert all the time and you really feel you understand each module before moving on.

"I was late in arriving, but everyone was very understanding and helped me catch up. It was good that all the professors responded to email so you could always contact them. The course is more practical and related to the real world than it would have been in Malaysia, where education is more theoretical. I feel that learning to use the software has given me an advantage, and I hope to continue my studying to do a PhD."

Cai Wang (MSc Environmental Management of Urban Land and Water) comes from Beijing, and chose Sheffield for several reasons
"I always wanted to study abroad, and this course meant I could get a qualification in one year instead of the three it would have taken in China.....
Sheffield is not too big or too small, an in-between size. Everybody is friendly, and tell you what you want to know".
She also has a cousin who had studied in Sheffield previously.

The course was "really interesting. I particularly liked the way outside people came to do the modules via short courses. It was good to mix with consultants to learn about other things".

"I made a good decision to come. When I go home, I will tell my old classmates about the course".

Rebecca Fraser (MSc Environmental Management of Urban Land and Water) is employed by the Environment Agency, she enrolled on the Masters course because it fulfilled her training requirements. The Environment Agency actively encourage their employees to continually improve their knowledge base, and because Rebecca had previously been on a short course here she knew they were of a high standard and applicable to real life.

"I am really enjoying the Masters course. It's stimulating, the lecturers are knowledgeable and friendly, and it's very well organised for such a new course. It's given me extra knowledge that you don't get by just reading about a subject. One of the best things is that the lecturers have all worked in industry, so they have real hands-on experience - they are not just academics."

Rebecca will continue to work for the Agency "but what I have learnt will make me do a better job - I really believe in what we are trying to do".

Laura Probert (MSc Environmental Management of Urban Land and Water) works for the Environment Agency in the Groundwater and contaminated land team, as a technical support officer. She came to study part-time at Sheffield as she had always wanted to do a higher degree and the Agency helped with funding. Several colleagues had already been to Sheffield to do short courses as well as the Masters course, and all had recommended it highly.

"The best thing is that I've managed to apply everything that I've learned on a day-to-day basis to my work at the agency" says Laura. "I'm quite impressed with that, and would heartily recommend the course to others.

"I like the three week modules; although it's three weeks of intensive study you can concentrate and apply what you are learning straightaway. Each module inter-relates to the next, so you are always building on your knowledge.

"The teaching is excellent. There is a nice mix between academic teachers and consultants, so you get both internal and external perspectives on problems. I'd definitely recommend the course."

Anonymous comment 1: "I would recommend the masters to anyone. I feel the masters provides a great spread of material that is not only interesting but also useful with respect to a future career in the area. The lecturers are top class, with their own vast knowledge and experiences in both research and their time in industry. Fantastic masters programme!"

Anonymous comment 2: "Very interesting, learned a lot, dynamic staff/some visiting speakers who made their subjects exciting and although difficult easier to learn and understand."

Emma Mallinson (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a full-time, mature, home student returning to postgraduate education.

"I did the Masters because I had lots of experience but no formal qualifications, and I wanted to move forward. I had heard from other people that the course at Sheffield was relevant and would provide a good stepping stone for better jobs afterwards.

"I found it very challenging, not least because I was going back to studying after a gap of twenty years! However, it was very rewarding, and well supported academically with WebCT. I'm really pleased I persevered, and now I have a qualification that goes some way to matching my experience."

Ben Eagle (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a full-time, home student continuing his career development after working in the environmental consulting sector.

"I wanted more training before I entered the job market........ to really understand what's going on you need more than an undergraduate degree. I chose Sheffield for a number of reasons: I did my undergraduate degree here so I was familiar with the university; I knew the course had a good reputation; and of course the financial help was a big bonus.

"I enjoyed the course a lot. It was really hard work but very well structured, diverse, and well taught. I feel I came a long way in the year, and now have a much better understanding. I view it as a very positive step in my career, and I was offered three jobs in consultancy when I had finished."

Jessica Bastock (MSc Contaminant Hydrogeology) is a full-time, home student and recent graduate.

"Doing a Masters course seemed to be the obvious step after an undergraduate degree, if you want to stay in science. This course seemed to be the only one that incorporated contaminants rather than focussing on hydrogeology as others did.

"It was quite challenging but very different to doing an undergraduate degree. Everyone got on well and helped each other through the modules, and WebCT was excellent. The teaching was really good, and I learned so much in one year, more than all I'd done in the three years of my first degree. It was nice to be working with people from industry too. It´s really important to do this course if you want to stay in research or go into industry."